Pak rebuts US apprehension of hindrance in forthcoming polls

Islamabad has said it sees no ground for any hurdle in the way of holding free and fair polls.

“The Government of Pakistan has already made it very clear that the general elections would be held on time and that there would be no delay. Besides, the government has also held out an assurance that no hurdles would be put in the way of the democratic process,” the Foreign Office spokesman said.

“Naturally, we are seized with the matter and we do not have any apprehensions regarding the statement made by the (US) State Department. Tom Casey (Deputy Spokesman) was simply responding to a query asked by the media,” The News quoted the Foreign Office spokesman, as saying.

Casey had said that the United States did not wish to see “any actions take place that would undermine the democratic process in Pakistan or make it harder for the Pakistani people to have an opportunity to express their views in free and fair elections.”

Later, the State Department said it was not pointing fingers at any particular person for the October 18 attack.

“We hope to see that a thorough investigation is conducted of this. We do not know who is responsible for this terrible attack, but we hope that the individuals who are found guilty be brought to justice,” said its spokesman.

At least 139 people were killed, including three police officers, and over 550 were injured late on Thursday night as suspected suicide bombers tried to attack former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s convoy on her return to the country after eight-year self-imposed exile.

Two explosions went off a minute apart shortly after midnight near Karsaz close to the vehicle Bhutto was travelling in, at the head of a procession of hundreds of thousands of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) supporters who had flooded the streets of Karachi to welcome her. (ANI)